The Return
by Newverdak1502
Summary: I thought I had posted this months ago, but I guess I didn't. Anyway, it's always nice to have someone to come home to.


It had been months since he'd seen her. It hadn't been that bad, they'd talked and thanks to technology, been able to chat through webcams. However it wasn't the same as having her in his arms, smelling her, feeling the touch of her skin. Today was going to be torture because today was the day she was coming home, but not until late evening. He wasn't sure if he'd make it.

Of course she'd loved the trip, it had been great fun and she learned a lot! She certainly was going to miss Ireland, but she missed him more. She had taken tons of pictures, keeping him in mind the whole time and picturing showing them to him, and her parents of course. It had been hard at first coordinating times to talk, with the time differences, but just like he'd promised, they'd worked it out. This plane could not move fast enough in her opinion.

Her parents were picking her up, it only seemed fair since they were probably the only people that could possibly miss her as much as he did. Plus there was the problem of him not having a car. The plan was, her parents would pick her take her to dinner, let her unwind, and spend time with them and then she would be with him for the quality time they had been lacking. He could not wait for that quality time.

She couldn't get off the plane fast enough, in fact once she got everything she ran straight to her parents and hugged them both. It had been so long since she'd seen them and she really had missed them, almost as much as she'd missed him.

He stared at the clock. Was it him or was it moving slower than usual? He took it off the wall and changed the batteries, maybe they had been dying! He was sure that it was a lot closer for her to come over than it really was. He looked at his cell phone to set the clock. Oh. No, the clock _had_ been right. 7:32pm. 10:00 sure was taking it's sweet time.

Dinner was wonderful, even for having been a restaurant and not home cooked, but it was her favorite restaurant, so it wasn't bad. She couldn't stop talking, once she finished one story, she went straight on to another one. She had a fantastic time there and couldn't talk fast enough (or stop talking long enough to really eat). Her parents sat and listened and asked questions and laughed and enjoyed the company of their daughter whom they had missed so much. They missed her so much, they could only imagine how much he had been missing her. They had made sure to stay in contact with him so they could keep each other up to date on how things were going with her and they wanted to make sure he was able to get through her being gone. They knew how close the two were and how hard a separation of such great distance, could be. In a way they had helped each other get through this.

9:55pm! 5 minutes just 5 minutes and if he knew her as well as he did, she would be here any minute. He had made it this far, a lot of thanks to technology and her parents, he could wait just a few more minutes.

Her heart was racing faster and faster the closer she got to his house. Yes, she had missed her parents and wanted to spend time with them, but she missed him in a totally different way. If she could have, she would have ran every red light and stop sign all the way to his house.

Headlights! Engine turning off! Car door slamming! Front door opening! He just stood and stared for a moment, taking in the sight of the love of his life standing before him once more.

Her hands were shaking as she opened the front door. She walked in and he was standing there and all she could do was stare. It had been too long since they'd seen each other. She smiled so wide her cheeks hurt, but she didn't care. He was there smiling just as big back at her.

They both took steps towards each other, he bent down and picked her up and swung her around. She laughed as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. He set her down and looked deep into her eyes and put a hand to her cheek. Neither could believe that this moment had finally come. They were together, there in one another's arms. No distance, no oceans. He rested his forehead to hers as he had done the night they became a couple, and closed his eyes. She closed hers and took in his scent and relished in his presence. Yes, it had been far too long. The waiting was over.

He quickly captured her lips and put every ounce of love he had been saving for her into the kiss. His grip tenderly, tightened around her waist as her fingers tangled themselves in his soft dark hair. She kiss back with just as much love and longing. She didn't want it to end, but then again, she was losing air to breathe, so she pulled back to look into his face again, but he placed small, yet passionate kisses down her neck, which didn't really help her breathing. He made his way back up to her lips and kissed them softly one more time before crushing her in his arms with a loving hug.

She clung tightly to him and whispered those three words that he hadn't heard in person for so long: I love you. He answered back with the same words and they stood like that for a moment or so, neither wanting to ever let go again. A single tear of happiness ran down her cheek, just as one ran down his. Neither could think of a happier moment.


End file.
